Hi Aunty.I noticed the seaweed thread had been locked, as I mentioned I had emailed several bodies and just had a reply from Blackpool council so thought I would pm you, I am thinking it may be worth putting it up as a sticky for future as it does pop up from time to time.Our council say it is permitted to take seaweed/ driftwood off the beach but not sand/ pebbles. Here is their reply....

Dear Mr *,

I have contacted our Beach Patrol (01253 626141) who have clarified that whilst sand and pebbles are not permitted to be taken from the beach, driftwood and seaweed are both allowed to be removed.

They also wanted me to add that when on the beach you should always take care and be aware of the sea, tide times and weather conditions.

Kind regards,etc etc etc

I will advise when I get a reply from the enviromental agency etc but I would assume that the council would know of any laws that prohibit it. I also know there is several bodies trying to change this as the strand line is seen as a micro enviroment for many creatures, but as the law stands you are permitted.RegardsAidyThis information applies to shore line in the Blackpool Council area.

I hesitate to continue to post on this locked thread but I have to correct Aidy's assumption. The EA has no legal standing in this issue and therefore their reply is not relevant legally.

The legal position is as follows for any land around the UK:

All land has an owner. Very broadly speaking, anything on that land belongs to the land owner unless specific rights have been granted to others.

Above high water mark the owner will probably either be an individual or the local authority.

Below high water mark, up to and including the sea bed, the most likely owner is the Crown Estate. Alternative owners may include the local authority or the Duchy of Cornwall.

You may not remove anything from land without permission of the land owner. Otherwise it is potentially theft or other more specific offences. Seaweed is included in this rule.

So, as Aunt Sally has said, first you must identify the owner of the land. Best to contact your local council and ask a) who is the land owner of the area above high water mark, and b) who is the land owner of the foreshore i.e. between high and low water marks. If they cannot establish themselves as legal owners, then you can assume it is Crown Estate.

Once you have establised ownership, then you can determine from the owner what permissions, if any, apply with regards to the abstraction or removal of seaweed from above and below the high water line. For land owned by the local authority, bye-laws will be the best evidence of general permissions.

Collection for personal use does not require a licence and we are content for such collection to proceed for small quantities. We recommend anyone doing so takes account of environmental sensitivity of collecting anything from the wild